Pride of the Uchiha
by Master Hiruka
Summary: In the aftermath of the 4th Great Shinobi War trouble starts brewing as the last Uchiha plots to destroy Konoha. But to Sakura who feels she has escaped his grasp, is this a matter of Love? Or war?
1. The Beginning

"Saaaakuraaa-Chaaan!" The Village Hidden in Leaves resonated with the sound of a certain hyperactive blonde, jinchuriki.

Haruno Sakura, age 19, Captain of Anbu Division 4 sighed as she looked up from reading her book on Horticulture in the bedroom as Naruto Uzumaki, age 19 as well, Anbu Captain of Division 3 jumped into her room. Over the past four years Naruto has matured a lot. His intense training with Jiraiya and Kakashi every day had led to his height increasing even more so he now stood at a proud 6'2. Lean muscles adorned his previously slim body and he now moved with the stealth befitting a Captain of an Anbu division. However today he was in his ordinary orange jumpsuit, his signature grin was missing and there was a grave look in his bright cerulean eyes.

He jumped in at the window of his best friend and regarded her gravely. Over the years Sakura too had blossomed into what her other best friend Ino liked to call 'a ravishing beauty with a deadly poison hidden beneath her petals'. The last bit was thanks to her mentor Shizune who had trained her in the aspect of poison and taught her how to use the deadly abilities to maximum effect. Of course training with Tsunade had not only improved the young girl's physique and abilities but had also added an aura of maturity which Sakura had previously lacked.

The last three years had been spent in bitter training with the two remaining Sannin. When Jiraiya had recommended Naruto to Kakashi for further training Sakura had refused to sit back and had turned to Shizune for help in more 'dangerous' aspects. Both of them had grown immeasurably stronger and had sat first for the Jounin and then the Anbu examinations both of which they had passed with flying colours.

Even the Konoha Council had been forced to admit that it would be impossible to keep Naruto from becoming the Hokage at this pace. Just five months ago Sakura and Naruto had been recommended for the posts of Anbu Captains of Divisions 4 and 3 respectively owing to the previous Captains being slaughtered brutally by the Akatsuki leader Pain while out in search for the Kyubi.

After a feeble resistance put forth by Elders Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the Council, the Jounin and the Villagers had gladly accepted Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno as the new young leaders of the Anbu. Naruto had been so happy that day yet Sakura and their friend Sai had noted a small part of Naruto which had seemed lonely and miserable. They both new it was due to the absence of a certain Uchiha who had abandoned the village more than seven years ago to achieve power. Their last encounter with the Uchiha after the Five Kage Summit had greatly contributed to the relentless training put forth by Naruto after he reached Konoha.

Thus Naruto now stood before her, panting slightly indicating to her that he had run all the way from his house.

"What's wrong Naruto?" asked Sakura folding the edge of her book and closing it.

"It's Sasuke…." Said Naruto as Sakura's heart skipped a beat, "He's been spotted outside Kusagakure"

* * *

><p>"…And make sure Jiraiya gets hold of this as soon as possible" ordered Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, to her first apprentice Shizune who nodded and vanished in a poof of smoke carrying with her a detailed letter to Tsunade's fellow Sannin Jiraiya.<p>

There was a quiet swishing sound and without turning Tsunade knew she was no longer alone in the room.

"You summoned me Hokage-Dono" came a voice as sweet and melodious as a nightingale but with a razor sharp edge to it which signified a person of ruthless persecution and a heart of ice.

"You're rather early" muttered Tsunade staring out of the window behind her seat knowing full well who hid behind the mask behind her.

"My apologies Hokage-Dono, I was merely hoping to be the early bird and catch the cardamom bun" said the melodious voice as Tsunade sighed.

"That's _cinnamon_ bun and no you're not going to get any extra information out of me concerning the new S-Rank mission I am about to hand to you" said Tsunade wearily finding the person a very exasperating being to hold a conversation with.

"I am extremely offended that you would even think of such a …"

There was then an incessant knocking on the door and Tsunade rubbed her temples wearily, "Get your butts in!" she yelled as the door slammed open to accommodate a seething Uzumaki Naruto, a worried Haruno Sakura, Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, Yamato and Kakashi.

"Come in all of you, and where the hell are Iori and Junichi?" demanded Tsunade as Kakashi shrugged and Yamato replied, "They're probably on their way, I felt their chakra signatures while coming here"

"Baa-Chan, this is about Sasuke isn't it? Tell me, we're gonna get him back now right?" asked Naruto impatiently as the only masked member of the room silently moved into the shadows to allow Tsunade to move forward.

"Be patient Naruto, this isn't about your personal feelings on the matter, when Iori and Junichi get here I shall brief you on everything you need to know" said Tsunade seeing a fire well up in Naruto's eyes. But before the blonde could begin arguing Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a small shake of her head as the Captain of the 3rd Division subsided.

Five minutes later there was a small knock at the door and at Tsunade's yell a man and a woman entered the room grinning sheepishly.

"Umm sorry we're late guys, I was just showing Iori my kitten collection" said the man called Junichi Sato rubbing the back of his head nervously as Kakashi's mask creased a little to signify his slight smirk.

The woman called Iori Haruna, Captain of Anbu Division 5, was a well proportioned woman, wearing the traditional Anbu outfit but without the mask. Her raven hair fell past her shoulders and she had mismatched eyes.

Junichi Sato, Captain of Anbu Division 6 was a tall, lean man with tanned skin and a disarming smile. His grayish blue eyes and womanizer ways often led to him being voted 'Most Eligible Bachelor' in Konoha. He too wore the traditional Anbu outfit but carried a huge scroll strapped to his backside with it.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I've summoned six Anbu Captains and 1 Jounin to this room all of a sudden. I'm sure you're all aware of the recent sightings of Uchiha Sasuke and his organization which now aims for the destruction of Konohagakure and the assassination of the Village Council and most probably the Daimyo as well.

"And our mission is the capture Uchiha and beat the living crap out of him?" asked Junichi grinning broadly as Iori shot him a 'shut up' look.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Junichi, let me brief you on exactly what this mission is all about" said Tsunade sitting down as the other took this as a signal and aligned themselves up in a line before her table, excepting one who remained in the shadows.

"Last week five members of the Anbu first division were carrying out an A-Rank mission of escorting the Daimyo of the Land of Fire back from a political meeting in Kusagakure. They were about three miles from the borders of Kusagakure when one of the members was struck by a senbon and killed instantaneously. The other four were immediately put on their guards and before any danger could befall them they used the Secret Anbu Jikukan Ninjutsu (1) to teleport the Daimyo back to his residence. When the jutsu was finished they arrived back to find themselves surrounded by a small platoon of Otogakure Ninja of at least Chunin level, they fought bravely and managed to defeat them all without sustaining any fatal injury however when they thought they had won they were confronted by 4 people in cloaks and hoods. We do not know what took place after that but so far of the four who survived only one managed to return to Konoha this morning sustaining severe injuries and the first thing he did was to inform his Captain before collapsing. Only three hours ago did I manage to save him from a very near death." Said Tsunade intertwining her hands together.

"How do we know it was Uchiha Sasuke who attacked them? I thought the Otogakure ninja were under the control of Yakushi Kabuto?" enquired Yamato who had recently been promoted to the position of Anbu Captain of Division 2.

"The body of the only surviving member showed unmistakable signs of sustaining severe burns, burns that can only be formed by a certain type of fire jutsu" said Tsunade in a low tone.

"Amaterasu" said Kakashi as Tsunade nodded.

"His arms have been burned too badly to completely heal, I'm afraid his job as a Shinobi of Konoha is finished. A very sad fate for a very loyal man and a man of great proficiency" said Tsunade casting for the first time a glance at the Captain of the First Division who still stood in the shadows wearing her mask which resembled a wolf.

"I'm sure we're all aware that Uchiha Sasuke shows no remorse and has no intention of returning to the village" said Neji Hyuga, the Captain of Anbu Squad 8 who carried his peacock mask with his tanto.

"But I don't think we all really agree on that do we?" asked the longest serving member of Anbu Captaincy, Shikamaru Nara, Captain of Squad 7 whose owl mask hung from his belt.

Naruto clenched his fist and looked away as Sakura merely lowered her head.

"All that is immaterial right now. Now that I've explained the situation I will inform you of the decision that The Kazekage and I have taken. Sasuke Uchiha will be hunted down and captured by all the ten Anbu Squads. Squad Ten Captain Raizar is away in Sunagakure on a diplomatic mission for the time being so it's just you nine for now. To replace Raizar I have suggested Hatake Kakashi, seeing as his conduct in the Anbu was of top caliber and he himself has proved to be a splendid Shinobi. I will leave you all to plan out your strategies, the Anbu records, Interrogation records, Medical Records and such will be available with either Ibiki or with Shizune" said Tsunade in her clear voice as the eight figures in front of her gave a small salute.

"All of you, except Naruto, Sakura and you," she said pointing to the wolf mask, "Dismissed!"

As Neji, Shikamaru, Yamato, Kakashi, Junichi and Iori vanished with a poof of smoke Tsunade turned her attention to the two youngest Anbu Captains before her.

"Look you two; I'm sure this is very painful for both of you, especially since this concerns Sasuke. I sympathize with you and I offer my condolences. But that is all I can do for you" said Tsunade in a hard tone, her eyes dark as if daring either of the two before her to challenge her.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but then seemed to think the better of it. However Sakura noticed his clenched fists and stiff way of standing which rather amused her yet made her sad, to see Naruto just burst out in defense for Sasuke. After so many years of torrid training Sakura had lost all hope, expectation and desire of Sasuke ever returning home. She now believed herself to be free from his grasp, no longer caring for him. However Naruto had not yet been able to accept this and had doggedly pursued his ambition to bring back Sasuke.

During the Anbu exams the present Head of Squad one who now stood in the shadows behind Tsunade had coldly commented on Naruto being a 'mere fool who wasted his entire childhood away on one who had the blood of a Clan of Traitors within him'. Naruto had not known what it had meant but he had understood enough to fly into a furious rage and attack the Squad 1 Captain with a powerful Oodama Rasengan, but thanks to Kakashi and Yamato's not-so-calm explanations and a bit of her own smooth talking had managed to subdue the enraged jinchuriki into mutinously glaring murderously at the masked Captain whom he now called a colleague.

"As I already told you Sasuke has been declared an S-Rank Criminal of higher order than even Orochimaru for firstly attempting the lives of all Five Kages at the Summit something that even Orochimaru would not be so foolish as to dare, added to that is the recent assassination of the Water Country Daimyo. Fortunately for us the Fifth Mizukage is a tolerant woman and is very reasonable but if it had been someone else, Konoha would probably have been at war with them right now. _And __that__'__s __exactly __what __Sasuke __wants!_" ended Tsunade banging her fists upon the table to emphasize her feelings on the matter.

"But Baa-Chan, Sasuke's only doing this because he thinks the Konoha Elders are to blame for what happened to Itachi. He's not thinking straight, if only I had the chance to talk to him" argued Naruto.

After the shocking revelation made about Itachi's innocence by Madara Uchiha all those years ago Naruto had been in a daze, as to whether truly the man who he blamed for Sasuke's defection was innocent. After hearing the truth from Sasuke and hearing what he intended to do Naruto had tried every lead and every chance he could get to convince Sasuke to forgive and forget but to no avail.

"Uzumaki-Kun, I think we all know the man whom you speak of so fondly is dead to us. There no longer exists Sasuke Uchiha, the genin. He died the moment he set foot out of the village to join Orochimaru. There only exists now, an S-Rank criminal, a murderer a disrupter of life and such trash deserves to _know __well __and __truly __the true __meaning __of __suffering_"

Sakura felt a chill going through her spines at the words of the Squad One Captain had she felt had remained silent long enough. However from the way Naruto's face flushed with anger and an enraged fire showed in his blue eyes, Sakura bit her lip hoping he wouldn't explode too badly.

"And what the hell would you know of suffering? Don't think you can even begin to understand what Sasuke has been made to go through. He's had a messed up past and every one of his friends are trying to make him forget the past and move on, and if you don't wanna co-operate I couldn't care less but don't you go feeding me that 'true meaning of suffering' shit. You have no idea, no idea what true suffering is. It's not just about someone jabbing a kunai into your chest." yelled back Naruto lashing out at the Captain.

The temperature in the room seemed like it had dropped by ten degrees as Tsunade spoke warningly, "He's still a child Shiori, don't let him provoke you"

The person from whom the chill seemed to be emancipating gave a high pitched chuckle as if the thought of that amused her a lot and spoke, "Please Tsunade-Sama, do not think I am so easily provoked. It is not within this boy's power to provoke me into attacking him. He can wane on about the countless tragedies he and his criminal friend have suffered. A word of friendly advice to you Uzumaki-Kun, do not let yourself wallow in self-pity, that merely makes your mind more sluggish and without the mind can exist no Shinobi." she said to Naruto with a tone of geniality but with a hard edge to it.

Shiori Yumebaki was the long standing Captain of Anbu 1st Squad and was said to be unimaginably powerful. Rumors about her becoming the next Hokage had been floating about though these had all dissipated with time. Though only 25 years of age she was a legend amongst all the Anbu in the world and usually seen amongst the Top 5 in other villages Anbu Bingo Book before the Five Nation Alliance. Her abilities, though largely unknown gave her a reputation of a ruthless killer who would hunt down her target, even to the dark side of the moon if need be, and slaughter him in the most painful way possible _(unless __other wise __instructed)._Her appearance was known to very few and not to any of the other Anbu Captains except Yamato because along with the traditional Anbu uniform she wore a full body ninja suit which stretched from nose to toes and her silver hair was usually tied up in a bun.

"Self-pity? You think this is self…"

"That's enough Naruto, this conversation is over. Remember your place as a fresh member in the Anbu and give your seniors and colleagues a chance. I don't want to hear from anybody that you're causing trouble because let me tell you frankly, you're not making a very good impression upon the Council, the way you're training or leading your squad and Danzo is just looking for even the slightest opportunity to have you placed within the root, brandishing his own cursed seal and that's the last thing we need under the present situation" said Tsunade.

Naruto noticed her harassed brown eyes and her frizzled hair as his eyes softened.

"Sorry Baa-Chan, I just thought that giving a ramen party to celebrate my Captaincy was a good idea. Break the ice, ya know?"

Tsunade smirked, "Well, you certainly are Jiraiya's student; only the two of you would throw yourselves a congratulations party. Off with you two now, I want you to be careful and not take any unnecessary risks or hot-headed decisions, remember that…"

"Yeah, yeah, we're responsible for the lives of our team as well as ourselves so we should go by the regulations and yada, yada, we know that Baa-Chan" said Naruto stretching himself and sticking his nose into the air as he sniffed around excitedly.

"Hmm, hey is that ramen? Hey, Sakura-Chan, can you smell ramen?"

The two of them went out arguing about ramen and regulations as Shiori Yumebaki chuckled slightly.

At Tsunade's questioning look she straightened up, "Sorry, it's just, he's very easily distracted isn't he? Just sort of reminded me of someone I once knew" she said.

"Hm, yes, he has that effect on many people, myself included. You're dismissed now Shiori, be careful and oh, do look into the matter I talked to you about" said Tsunade adopting a grave look once more.

"Yes of course Hokage-Dono, I'll be off then" and she was gone in a puff of smoke.

"_These __youngsters,__well,__it __all __rests __in __their __hands __now__"_ thought Tsunade with a wry smile when suddenly a messenger dove carrying Sunagakure's emblem landed on her window.

Frowning she held her hand out to it and it obediently dropped a small scroll attached to its leg onto her outstretched palm.

Unscrolling it she slowly began reading what the Kazekage had written to her in his large, untidy handwriting. As her eyes moved lower and lower through the scroll her eyes began to widen in shock and her heart began beating at a terrible rate.

As Sakura walked home smiling softly after her playful and friendly argument with Naruto she looked up to see a small dove flying across the sky.

" A _me__ssage __for __Shishou ,__I __wonder __who __it __is ? __Hmm, __oh __well ,__Gaara __probably. __After __the __previous __Five __Kage __Meeting __a __lot __of __communication __has __increased __between __the __Five __Great __Shinobi __Villages__"_ she thought walking through the streets admiring the beautiful flowers that this years Spring had brought with them.

She sat down beneath her favorite sakura tree in the park where she and Ino had played as children. As she sat back enjoying the cool evening air and the lukewarm, fading sunlight on her skin a lone dry leaf fluttered down and settled on her lap.

"_The __war __against __Madara __Uchiha __changed __us __all __so __much__"_ she thought wistfully turning the leaf on her palm. The deaths of many Konoha Shinobi had been mourned but the most terrible day for her being the day when Inoichi Yamanaka's corpse was brought into the village by a near dead Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi. Ino had let out the most painful scream Sakura had ever heard in her life. She had not cried, after that one scream of anguish she hadn't shed a single tear even after he was buried. She just stood lifelessly, with great bags under her bloodshot eyes. She'd stopped talking to anyone; she wouldn't even come out of her room sometimes. One day when Sakura found Ino gazing longingly at a sharp kunai she had snapped, her temper and caused her to nearly beat Ino black and blue that day for subjecting herself to such torture. She had slapped, punched, shook, screamed and raged at Ino and when she had left slamming the door hard she had expected Ino to never want to see her face again. But to her surprise she had found a rather heavily bandaged Ino outside her house the next day asking if she wanted to walk to the hospital together. Sakura smiled as she remembered how awkward she had been feeling that day when suddenly Ino had grabbed her hand and collapsed onto the ground, crying and bawling, letting out all the pent up grief inside her. Sakura had not known what to do or what to say but she had just hugged Ino and the two of them had stayed there together for most of the morning. Later Ino had thanked for being there for her and had staggered home. The next day Sakura had been surprised and visibly ecstatic to see the old Ino returning with her crude remarks about Sakura's clothing and hair style.

_"Though Ino managed to save herself from the darkness, I wonder if I would have been able to do the same if something like that happened to me?"_ thought Sakura as a breeze blew softly against her face.

Another terrible day had been when Hinata had been brought under her care with her stomach slashed viciously and her organs bleeding heavily. Tsunade and Shizune had been unavailable that day and as Tsunade's apprentice she had been in-command.

_ FLASHBACK_

_"Sakura-San" cried the young medic, the panic and worry evident in her tone as she rushed into the Medicine room where all the various medicines were stored._

_Sakura had been taking down a few medicines which she had prescribed to Kakashi, who was being released that day after staying under Tsunade's care for a fortnight due to a great battle with Zetsu, a member of the Akatsuki who had been Madara's right hand man. After being hit by a Raikiri, Zetsu's body had exploded into millions of tiny spores which released a deadly acid. Kakashi had suffered many major burns and his sharingan had been affected too._

_She looked up as the young medic ran in._

"_Sakura-San, it's terrible. Hyuga Hinata-Sama has just been brought in, she's received a gash across the stomach and she's bleeding terribly. Please do come, Tsunade-Sama and Shizune-San are away in Sunagakure and I don't think Hinata-Sama can survive for much long without immediate medical…"_

_Sakura was out in the hallways running at top speed before the medic could even complete her words._

_As she arrived outside the Operation Theatre she saw a frantic Kiba, a very tense Shino and before she knew it, in a blonde flash was Naruto banging against the door demanding to be let in. Only once or twice had Sakura seen Naruto in such a condition. Once had been when Sasuke had 'died' at the hands of Haku and second when he had attacked Uchiha Madara for scoffing at Naruto's will._

"_Sakura-Chan, thank god you're here, please you gotta save Hinata" cried Naruto grabbing her._

"_Yes Naruto that's why I'm here" said Sakura opening the Theater door, 'But you've got to stay outside, there are a 101 reasons for that which I will explain later Naruto but for now, stay out!" said Sakura slamming the door shut._

_Inside she turned to find three young nurses running around bringing cotton, warm water, anesthesia and a hundred other things. At the sight of the pinkette they sighed with relief and respectfully stood by waiting for any order they might receive._

_Hinata lay on the operating table, her jacket and shirt had been peeled back showing a huge gash across her stomach._

"_Curved blade" thought Sakura getting into gear and grabbing a wad of cotton, "Or perhaps a club, more likely a club with spikes because the skin is torn irregularly. _

"_She's into Class III Hemorrhage, get me all the cotton you have" said Sakura, "I can't start healing her without cleaning the blood or else it'll sting too much and probably cause even more blood loss. She's gone pale, that means she's lost more blood than it appears. And one of you keep pumping chakra into her pulse with the basic healing Ninjutsu, nothing more advanced or the blood vessel will rupture"_

_As the nurses scampered to heed her orders, Sakura grabbed a swab of cotton and began jabbing gently at the gash across Hinata's pale stomach. With the help of the two other nurses the job of cleansing the wound was finished much faster but by the time they had finished the nurse supplying chakra had nearly run out and Hinata began growing paler and paler._

"_Not good" thought Sakura brushing sweat off her brow as she placed her hand on the gash and began pumping chakra into it with the advanced medical technique taught to her by Tsunade._

"_Not good at all, she's lost so much blood already and her lungs have been damaged, she can't breathe, and unless she fights she won't last long. No matter how much chakra I pump into her the chakra pathway is disrupted so it'll take longer, I wonder what sort of weapon caused this…No…no, stop getting ditracted Sakura…focus…focus"_

_She kept at it swallowing soldier pills once in a while to ensure she didn't run out of chakra. Outside Kiba and Naruto began growing more and more restless as Shino sank deeper into depression. They had been joined by Neji, Kurenai and Hanabi, the last of whom stood with her nose pressed against the window, her pale eyes flashing with worry._

"_Hinata's losing the will" thought Sakura as she glanced frantically at the machine which showed heartbeat. The line only gave a very slight alteration now and then showing that life was slowly fading away._

_Unable to bear it Sakura cried out, "Come on Hinata, are you just going to die like this? Aren't you going to tell Naruto your true feelings? Weren't you going to show your father and sister how strong you've become? Is this how you mean to carry out your nindo? What will they all think? Fight Hinata, fight. Fight, if not for your family, if not for Naruto, at least for yourself, fight Hinata!" _

_Beep. Beeep. Beeeeep. Beeeeeeeep. _

_As the sounds on the machine grew longer and longer Sakura knew there was no hope, for soon the sound would be a continuous screech signifying death, when she was just about to shed tears…_

_Beeeeeeeep. Beeeeep. Beeep. Beep. Beep._

_The pulse began quickening. Larger readings could be seen on the machine as Sakura's eyes widened with joy and hope. She began pushing herself, although her chakra supply was nearly exhausted._

"_I've told Hinata to fight and she's fighting. Now I've got to do everything I can to save her. Hinata has held out her hand. Now all that remains is for me to grasp it and pull her up, come on Sakura, you can do it, you can…'_

"_**You're weak"**_

_Sakura's heart missed a beat as she remembered the cruel words that had sprouted from the mouth of the man she had loved, right after he had jammed his katana into her shoulder. _

_Her hands began shaking and the green glow began fluctuating as the memories of the confrontations with Sasuke after the death of Madara haunted her. _

"_I…I'm weak, there…there's no way I…I'm not going to be able to save her…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry Hinata. I….I'm too weak to help you, too weak to fight. I…"_

"_Sakura-San?" asked one of the nurses noticing Sakura's fluctuating chakra._

"_Are you short on chakra ma'am? Shall I get you some more pills" asked another nurse with a slight note of scorn in her voice._

_That straightened her up._

"_What the hell was I thinking? I can't let the past pull me down" thought Sakura as her hands flared green again and colour began slowly returning to Hinata's face._

"_We're gonna make it. There's no way I'm going to let myself believe those words of Sasuke. The words of a man who is lost to the darkness. Sasuke might be superior to me in every sense of combat but the one thing I have that he'll never have is my heart, my will, my belief. And right now, I believe, I'm so going to save Hinata" she thought smiling as the three nurses stared in wonder._

_Three more hours passed before Sakura lifted her hands from Hinata's stomach and ordered the nurses to give Hinata a mild sedative and shift her to an ordinary room later._

_Taking off her medic uniform she trooped outside to be bombarded by Naruto, Kiba, Hanabi and Kurenai. _

"_How is she? She's not…" Naruto couldn't finish the sentence as Sakura gave him a weak smile and shook her head._

"_She's stable, Tsunade-Sama will be back tonight, we'll get her opinion then but for now she's fine. I've completely healed her wound but she might still have a few problems with that injury to her lung, we'll move her…to…the…" Sakura's world become blank and she felt a sharp pain in her temple and fell forward, clutched at someone's shoulder and passed into oblivion._

_END FLASHBACK_

Sakura smiled remember how much Tsunade had scolded her for exerting herself too hard but she had caught the look of immense pride in her mentor's eyes and had later heard she had repeated the tale to practically everyone in the village to hear.

Naruto had hugged her warmly and had apologized for pressurizing her. Sakura had waved it aside, she didn't know when and she didn't know how but sometime during the war, Naruto and Hinata had come together and watching their love Sakura felt like laughing her heads off at herself sometimes.

As a chilly wind blew into her face she was rudely awoken to the fact that it was no longer twilight but the moon was now shining over Konoha. She got up from under the tree and slowly began walking back to her house.

"Are you sure you're okay Sasuke-Kun?" asked a slimy, snaky voice as Sasuke Uchiha threw aside the curtain and entered the room of an ancient Uchiha stronghold in Kusagakure.

In front of his throne like seat stood Yakushi Kabuto, having absorbed Orochimaru's cells he now looked even more like Orochimaru, his eyes had become as sharp and cold as a snakes and he gave off an aura of distrustfulness. His silvery hair had grown longer and wavier and now reached past his shoulders. His hungry eyes gazed at Sasuke longingly as he licked his lips with his tongue which had become much longer in the past few months.

Sasuke gave him a curt nod. Through the war his skin had grown paler and now gave off a dull glow in the darkness. His features had become more rugged as compared to his smooth appearance before the war, though this only made him look all the more handsome. He had grown taller and noticeably muscular, his hair was still as spiky as ever framed his cheeks and fell down to his lower nape. His cold onyx eyes had become crueler and harder. He wore now a gray, sleevelss ninja shirt much like the one Suigetsu wore with slightly baggy pants which he coupled with a cloak when he went out. He wore a headband now with a hawk carved into it.

Very soon he was joined by Karin, Jugo and Suigetsu, the three other generals of what he considered to be his 'revenge'.

Karin enwrapped herself on his bare arm as soon as she entered the room, "Did my Sasu-Kun, miss me then?" she asked in a husky voice licking the rim of Sasuke's earlobe as the man in question freed himself roughly and glared at the red-haired woman with ogling breast and a disgustingly dogged look in her eyes as she literally seemed to undress Sasuke with her eyes.

Suigetsu remained as callous as ever, making belching noises at what he liked to call Karin's 'sloriness'.

"That's slut and whoriness combined" he had explained one day to Sasuke and had received a kunai in his face as a reward from an enraged Karin.

Jugo was still as aloof and gentle as he was before the war, showing undying loyalty to Sasuke and being the one to keep him away from Kabuto.

"I'm fine, but as you know, Konoha has come to know of our base here thanks to Karin's incompetence in letting that one Anbu get away" said Sasuke as Karin flushed as red as her hair and began twiddling her fingers nervously.

"I told you let me have a go at them but noooo, you just had to leave them with Ms. Whorin" said Suigetsu mockingly as Karin looked up.

"Hey at least I don't go around getting slapped by every other woman in the world because I'm so incredibly hideous" she retorted placing her hands on her hip, all ready to have a full blown fight with Suigetsu.

"That's enough; we've no time for petty nuisances. Kabuto, instruct the Sound Ninja to launch a full attack on Kusagakure in three weeks unless they approve of our proposal. In the unlikely event they don't then Suigetsu, you have the permission to enter the fray and slaughter whomever you want" said Sasuke as Suigetsu whooped in joy.

"Karin, I want you to continue your research on Madara's corpses, find out if there is any way to make him eligible for Kabuto's jutsu. Also, keep questioning the Konoha Ninja we captured about any new Anbu regulations we might have to go up against." Said Sasuke as Karin nodded and gave him a shameless wink which he turned away from with a sneering look.

"Jugo, I have a rather special task for you" said Sasuke, his voice softening a bit as he spoke to his 'most tolerable' member, "I want you to assassinate a particular person. I think you know who I mean"

"Yumebaki Shiori, you mean? Do you really think Jugo can beat her? She's supposed to be quite strong" said Suigetsu scratching his head.

"I have faith in Jugo's abilities, I'm sure you won't let me down. That woman is a thorn in my path, unfortuneately for me she can be as sly and cunning as me when she wants and lacks the sense of honour that most Konoha shinobi have" said Sasuke as Jugo nodded, "She wouldn't think twice about stabbing a friend if it meant stabbing an enemy along with him"

"_When __I __have __gotten __rid __of __all __these __pests __there __will __be __nothing __lying __between __me__…__and __the __destruction __of __Konoha__" _thought Sasuke as a small smile played at the very edges of his lips.

* * *

><p>She said I can't write, well I'll show her. This story is dedicated to my arch-rival at school who claims I can't stick two words together. When the stories done I'll show her, then she'll know who the boss is. If you're reading this I certainly hope you bothered to read the chapter which comes before this. If you did I hope it was up to your expectations. I'll be releasing the next chapter as soon as I can. Do forgive me if there are any irregularities in the time span.<p>

Yours Truly

Master Hiruka.


	2. When the Going gets Tough

DISCLAIMER: Yea, you all know it right? I don't own the shirt on my back, much less Naruto. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-Sensei, and I hope he lives to complete it.

If you have any fanart you'd like to show me about the OCs introduced so far or about any of the regular characters then then go ahead and send me your link. It'd be positively ecstatic to see them.

Now, on with the story…

* * *

><p>Naruto collapsed onto the grass of Training Ground 58, sweating and panting for everything he was worth. He had spent the entire morning perfecting a new technique he had been learning. A more modified version of the rasenshuriken. As he spread out his hands and legs and lay back watching the clouds pass by a shadow fell over him.<p>

"Konichiwa, Naruto-Kun"

"Ahhh, Hinata-Chan" he said leaping up grinning brightly as his girlfriend Hinata Hyuga sat down beside him smiling shyly, she carried a bento in her hand which smelled suspiciously of ramen.

"Hinata-Chan, you brought ramen!" cried Naruto jumping excitedly.

"Hai, I thought that's just what you'd like after a hard days training" said Hinata smiling at his childish antics.

"I'm so lucky to have you Hinata-Chan, you're practically a godsend" cried Naruto smiling and unpacking the boxed lunches as Hinata blushed.

"It's not t-that b-big of a d-deal" she said twiddling her fingers. Hinata had long since gotten over her stuttering, and nowadays she only stammered if she was extremely embarrassed or extremely excited. Or when she was alone with Naruto.

"_Most people used to find me annoying. Father said my stuttering was a sign of uncertainty and as a result a sign of weakness. Hanabi said my stuttering was annoying. Neji Nii-San had once said it let others know I was nervous. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun never commented upon it but Kurenai-Sensei told her it was best for her to gain some self-confidence. But Naruto-kun…"_

"It's kinda cute" he'd said one day while visiting her in the hospital after she had avoided a near fatal encounter.

From that moment on Hinata had known there was nobody else for her but Naruto. Not that she ever doubted it before but now it was just a confirmation of the question that had been lingering around her ever since she had first seen Naruto being bullied by a trio of bigger kids behind the Academy.

Naruto noticed Hinata staring at him and gulped down a large helping of ramen in a second blistering his throat a little.

"Sorry Hinata-Chan, were you saying something?" he asked rubbing the back of his head.

Hinata shook her head once, "No, I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you beside me Naruto-Kun, without you I'd never have been able to stand up to father. Even Neji Nii-San says I've developed a more a-assertive personality" she said.

Naruto looked at her for a long time till she blushed and looked away, he took her hand once, "Say Hinata, that's not completely true. Your true personality, the beauty of it, was just hidden from sight by your timidness. I just helped pull the curtain aside. And I'm sure it wasn't just me" said Naruto.

Hinata cast her mind back to all the people who had supported her when she had demanded to be allowed to date Naruto. She'd had a huge row with Hiashi Hyuga and she'd gone to Tsunade to complain. The Hokage had been very kind and patient with her and Hinata owed a great deal to the Godaime for it was only she who dared to punch Hiashi Hyuga in the face for calling Naruto a 'weapon of war' and Hinata a 'useless sappy girl'. Hinata had never seen her father with a black eye before. It just looked terribly funny on him. And then of course Neji, Kiba and Shino had been behind her all the way. Hinata considered herself privileged to have such good siblings and friends. Hinata had become fast friends with Sakura, Ino and Tenten over the years and the other three had a great hand in emotionally supporting her when her father had once threatened to disown her.

"No, there are definitely a lot of people who've stuck by me, but at the end of the day, it would be impossible without you Naruto-Kun" said Hinata cheerfully as Naruto beamed and gave her a one armed hug.

Just then there was a great swish of leaves.

"Aww now isn't that just adorable" came a slightly sarcastic voice from the tree above them. Naruto was immediately on his feet kunai in hand and Hinata in her Juken stance.

"Peace you two, it's just me" said the person holding up her hands.

Two pairs of eyes viewed a person in traditional Anbu wear with a body suit covering her legs arms and face leaving only the eyes open, the mask hanging from her belt showing only two sharp, cold eyes.

"_Like __a __predator __waiting __to __pounce__"_ thought Hinata as the person jumped from the branch and landed gracefully on her feet.

"What the hell do you want?" asked Naruto distrustfully not lowering his kunai though Hinata relaxed her stance.

"Urgent summons from the Godaime Hokage. All Anbu captains. Kindly report to the Underground Anbu Headquarters immediately." replied Shiori Yumebaki not moving a muscle as Naruto lowered his weapon slowly and reluctantly.

"What does Baa-Chan want now? We just met her yesterday." Complained Naruto as the predator eyes moved to the third person standing behind Naruto. The mere locking of the ruthlessly cold eyes upon her made a shiver go down Hinata's spine.

"I'm sure you don't expect me to answer such an irrelevant question in the middle of the training grounds where any unknown and unwanted source may hear? This is top secret information you know and if this spreads around the village like some old wives tale or high school girl gossip then the village might as well be thrown into an internal civil war" said Yumebaki not removing her eyes from Hinata who took a step back.

The sudden movement seemed to awaken Naruto to Yumebaki's insinuations. "Are you serious? You think Hinata-Chan would spread out Top Secret Information like some village gossip? That's a very insulting statement even to me. Hinata-Chan's one hundred percent loyal to the village and I'll have knock the wind out of anybody who doesn't think so" said Naruto standing in front of Hinata protectively.

"To you I'm sure she's trustworthy Uzumaki-Kun, but to me she's just another Jounin whom I neither trust nor distrust. But I'm sure you won't agree with me, after all, how useful it must be to have in your pocket, a prize as precious as the elder daughter and heir to one of the most prestigious clans in Konoha, I'm sure she'll be quite useful in the future when you might become Ho…"

Before she could continue Naruto was before her with the Anbu tanto drawn at her throat. His eyes flashing with rage.

"Never…never ever will you speak of Hinata like that." He said, his voice acquiring a dangerously low tone, a sure sign that the listener was in big trouble, "I don't care two hoots what you say about me but if you ever, and I repeat…ever speak of Hinata like some sort of object, I'll break every bone in your body so bad that even the Hokage will tear her head trying to heal you"

For a few moments nobody spoke, nobody moved. Just the impending anger of Naruto's threat hung around in the air. Hinata, unable to bear the tension was just about to speak out when the Anbu gave a light chuckle. Slowly she lifted a finger to the razor sharp edge of the tanto which flittered in the light and ran her hand down the blade once.

"I'll keep that in mind" she said in a tone as cold and sharp as the blade she was caressing and just after that…she was gone.

Naruto lowered his blade and sighed once before he turned to Hinata, "Sorry about that Hinata-Chan, there are some really stooges in the Anbu" he said looking a little upset.

Hinata came forward and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Naruto-Kun, don't let what she said bother you one bit. We both know why we're together. Our friends know why we're together and the villagers known why we're together. That's all that matters; I don't care what anybody else says about me, if I know _you_ understand, I'll be happy"

"Hinata-Chan" said Naruto looking unsure of what to say but compensated by moving forward and wrapping his arms around the kunoichi who jumped with surprise.

"I love you Hinata-Chan"

"…I love you too, Naruto-Kun"

* * *

><p>Tsunade tapped her foot impatiently as eight figures bowed on their knees before her in the damp underground Anbu headquarters which she so disliked. This building was kept a secret from all but the Elders, the Anbu Captains and the Hokage. Behind her stood Danzo, and the two Elders Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane. On her right stood Jiraiya leaning against the wall with a slight smile on his face which irritated Tsunade all the more. Finally she snapped slamming her fist against a wall.<p>

"Shiori, did you give Naruto the message to arrive _as __soon __as __possible_?" asked Tsunade.

The first figure from Tsunade's right raised her wolf-masked head, "Why yes Hokage-Dono, though unfortunately I have sufficient reason to belief that I might have offended Uzumaki-Kun in a way, he was with the Hyuga-Hime and…"

"You said something odd and Naruto flew into a rage and is now sulking, usual routine" said Jiraiya as the wolf masked Shiori dropped her head respectfully again.

"Tardiness is something that a Shinobi of high rank should never practice, I do not know whether this is a result of your poor leadership or merely a minor delay Tsunade but I hope you will see to it that it does not occur again. The Council has a lot to do without waiting for a mere boy to honor us with his presence" said Danzo in his smug yet sober voice.

Tsunade clenched her fist in annoyance, _"__That __Danzo,never will learn that maligning me and the people i trust are never __going __to __make __him __the __Hokage. __His __rivalry __with __Sarutobi- Sensei __has __stubbornly __stuck __and __been __passed __on __to __first __Minato, __and __then __to __me, __and __if __the __old __coot__'__s __still __alive __when __Naruto __becomes __Hokage, __then __I__'__ll __have __a __laugh __or __two__"_

Just then there was a gust of wind and Naruto flew into the room landing unceremoniously on his behind, bouncing a little before coming to a halt at Tsunade's feet. Rubbing his behind he flinched once as he saw the Elder's disapproving faces and gulped before grinning uneasily, "Umm, Sorry I'm late?"

"The hell you are, kindly explain to us what took you so long when it was clearly expressed to you how important this mission is? An S-Rank International Mission is nothing I'd wish to be late for" demanded Tsunade

"I'm sorry, it's just I was with Hinata-Chan and…wait, what? S-Rank International Mission? What the hell is that? I wasn't told about any S-Rank International Mission" said Naruto holding up his hands in protest as Koharu Utatane gave an exclamation of irritation from behind.

Tsunade sent a glance at the wolf-masked Anbu Captain who stood up.

"I do apologize but it is true I had not informed him about the International mission" said Shiori quite calmly.

"Why the hell not?" yelled Tsunade loosing her patience.

"Because Hokage-Dono, we were in the presence of an untrustworthy person, I'm sure you wouldn't expect me to divulge information before any Sally who goes my way, would you?" asked Shiori as Tsunade looked back at Naruto.

"Hinata-Chan isn't any untrustworthy Sally or whatever you call it, Baa-Chan, you know that" he argued as Jiraiya stood up.

"We all know that Hinata is loyal to Konoha Naruto, but these are regulations which we are obliged to follow, why? Because these regulations have been keeping order and discipline amongst the Military force of our village ever since it was founded. I'm sure it appears a great drag and a bit of an insult to you but these are some sacrifices we make with a higher position and a fatter paycheck" said Jiraiya as Tsunade coughed loudly.

"Yes, thank you Jiraiya, I hope we won't have any more of that in the future, remember now you are in a position of great respect and responsibility, no longer a cheeky genin, so please behave in accordance with your position" said Tsunade as she turned and sat down behind a table.

Naruto merely gave her a face and stood beside Yamato on his spot.

"Just yesterday I received a letter from the Kazekage" began Tsunade as everyone listened attentively, "It informed me of the fact that the Otogakure Ninja have allied themselves with Sasuke, signifying that Yakushi Kabuto is also one of his subordinates. Now we know that Kabuto was an apprentice of Orochimaru's and Orochimaru was unfortunately, very proficient with all kinds of kinjutsu that we may never have heard of"

"Are you saying he has passed on this knowledge to Kabuto and it is now in the hands of Sasuke Uchiha?" asked Danzo.

"Orochimaru would never reveal his secrets to anybody, if Kabuto knows, it was without Orochimaru's knowledge. I believe both Sasuke and Kabuto now know various amounts of kinjutsu, although, Sasuke lacks the mean to perform some of them because some kinjutsu were Orochimaru's own creations" said Tsunade.

"And how does this connect with the Kazekage's letter?" asked Danzo.

"Amongst Orochimaru's knowledge of kinjutsu was the Impure World Resurrection which is known to revive the dead as puppets of the summoner. A jutsu of tremendous power and one which requires a live human sacrifice to commit. It seems Yakushi Kabuto has successfully managed to perform this jutsu, that too on a large scale" said Tsunade as everybody gasped.

"W-What? What do you mean a large scale? Even a Shinobi of Orochimaru's power could only summon three corpses, and Kabuto was merely his underling, a medical ninja with no fighting ability" said Koharu Utatane earning a steely look from Tsunade.

'I'm a medical ninja, yet you can't say I fight no fighting power now can you?" she asked crackling her knuckles threateningly as Jiraiya stepped forward with an air of pouring cold water over a heated situation.

"Now, Now, let's come back to the topic, thanks to some very reliable sources of the Kazekage we have been informed of some rather disturbing news." said Jiraiya gravely as everybody's attention was turned back to him.

"Disturbing in what sense?" asked Danzo sharply.

"Disturbing in the sense that, Akasuna no Sasori, Deidara of Iwagakure, Kakuzu of Takigakure, Hoshigaki Kisame of Kirigakure, Zetsu of Kusagakure, Pein of Amegakure and Itachi Uchiha of Konohagakure have been successfully resurrected by Kabuto and are now, with their completely abilities mind you, are under the control of that Four Eyes"

Immediately there was a great gasp of surprise, outrage and fear in the room.

Danzo's back stiffened and his posture became more rigid. Koharu and Homura looked extremely troubled and worried. Amongst the Anbu Captains only Iori and Shiori managed to remain calm whereas the others began crying out, demanding answers or just exclaiming in surprise.

"A-All those Akatsuki members we killed…they're…back?" asked Sakura thinking about her terrifying battle with Akasuna no Sasori and later with Deidara during the Shinobi war. Seeing Sakura on the battlefield Deidara had come after her life in revenge. Thankfully she had Kakashi and Shikamaru there with her then and the three of them had managed to bring down the blonde haired Akatsuki member after a tough fight.

Kakuzu had already been killed by Naruto's Rasenshuriken after they he and his partner Hidan had murdered the Two Tailed Cat, its jinchuriki and Asuma Sarutobi. Hoshigaki Kisame had gone after Sasuke after Itachi fateful death at the hands of his brother. Nobody knew what happened but Kisame's corpse showed up at Kirigakure's headquarters a few months later with the Samehada missing. Sasuke's actions had quieted down considerably for those few months. Most people speculated that they had a really tough battle against the one who was titled 'Tailed Beast without a Tail' for his seemingly unending reserve of chakra.

Pein had sacrificed himself to revive all the people of Konoha that he had killed during his invasion. This was of course, after Naruto had brought down his Six Paths, tracked his real body and had convinced him to do what he did. Zetsu had later been killed while defending Madara Uchiha from Naruto's Tailed Beast Rasengan.

"I'm afraid so" answered Tsunade gravely, "The only ones he has not been able to resurrect are Hidan who is still believed to be alive in the spot where Shikamaru buried him, Pein's partner Konan who disappeared from sight after Madara Uchiha attacked and conquered Amegakure, I believe she's still alive, he has failed in resurrecting Orochimaru because his cells are still alive in all the victims of the Cursed Seal so biologically speaking he's still alive, and finally Madara Uchiha, because his corpse has been destroyed at an atomic level due to the Oodama Rasenshuriken used on him by Naruto"

"So now along with the threat of Sasuke, the entire Army of Otogakure, Yakushi Kabuto we also have six S-Rank criminals to worry about?" asked Koharu Utatane collapsing on a chair as Tsunade nodded.

"Um, excuse me for interrupting, but if we manage to take out Yakushi Kabuto then won't the entire jutsu be undone?" asked Shiori as Tsunade turned to look at her.

"Yes that is a possibility, but should Kabuto have made a blood seal with anyone else then the jutsu would be transferred to them after he's dead, and I'm pretty sure if he makes a blood seal he won't be broadcasting it out to the world" said Tsunade.

"Will he make that seal with Sasuke?" asked Naruto tensely.

"I don't think so" said Jiraiya interrupting before Tsunade could say anything, "I think it is most unlikely that Kabuto will try placing the blood seal on anybody who bears the cursed seal of Orochimaru's on him. No, Kabuto will place the seal on someone other than Sasuke; it could be anybody for all we know"

"So what is expected of us now?" asked Neji in his quiet yet stern voice.

"We do not know for what purpose this jutsu has been attempted and since this is an international matter there is to be a meeting of the Five Kages once again in the Land of Iron. Only this time we will travel with four of our top Shinobi from each village and I must warn you, though all political differences have been set aside and a Shinobi alliance has been formed our relationship with Iwagakure and Kumogakure remains a little unstable. So to all of you present here should we have to make a few compromises or sacrifices for their sake, should we have to agree to something they are suggesting even if we don't wish to, do not complain" said Tsunade glaring at Naruto.

"I should like to add that an 8-man team is being sent out on a search mission for Uchiha Sasuke. This will include Shikamaru Nara, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, Hatake Kakashi and Yumebaki Shiori" said Jiraiya as Naruto jumped up.

"Hey wait, why is she being sent on this mission? She has nothing to do with Sasuke" protested Naruto.

"Yumebaki-San has expressed a personal interest in the matters concerning Uchiha Sasuke and has volunteered to take part in this mission" said Tsunade coolly.

"But the hell would she…" Naruto cut off as he got a stern look from Tsunade which reminded him that the First Division had lost four members to Sasuke and was responsible for a great deal of harm to Konoha.

"I do look forward to working with you Uzumaki-Kun" said Shiori, overflowing with a melodious lilt in her tone which created a deceptive aura of innocence around her.

Naruto muttered something under his breath as Tsunade went on to discuss the various different dangers they might be up against.

* * *

><p>"Man, Granny sure can go on" said Naruto throwing his arms up into the air as he walked across the streets of Konoha with Sakura and Sai who they had caught being slapped by an unknown girl on the pavement.<p>

"For God's Sake Naruto, those were important battle tactics she was informing us about. Remember she's got tons more experience than you and I have" said Sakura.

"Yeah, just proves she's almost 80. I wonder when she'll stop the Living-a lie-jutsu?"" said Naruto earning a whack across the head from Sakura.

"I see no reason for her to stop it" said Sai bleakly as Naruto and Sakura gave him a questioning look, "I mean, keeping in mind the proportions of her breasts when she uses the jutsu it is more prudent to appear as a woman whom everybody would like to have sex with than a shriveled old woman whose chest is flatter than paper" said Sai as he got a harder whack across his face from Sakura who had blushed crimson.

"Sai you fool, you don't go around blurting things like that aloud" cried Sakura as Naruto grinned cheekily.

"Hey Sai, what'd you say to that girl we met earlier? The one who slapped you?"

"Oh her, well I merely asked her if she would take of her clothes for me. I seemed to have offended her in some way" said Sai rubbing his red cheek.

"Of course you offended her you can't just go around asking a girl to strip in front of you, that too a stranger, that too I in the middle of the street" said Sakura exasperatedly.

"But the way she was dressed, with her skirt flashing upward every second and her cleavage revealed I assumed she would like me to see her naked and not just get peeps of her private parts now and then" replied Sai as Sakura hit her head.

"Even so, there's something known as subtlety that you'll never learn Sai. You can not, and I repeat can not ask a strange woman to open her clothes for you in the middle of the street" said Sakura wearily.

Sai seemed to contemplate on this for a long time, biting his lips, and very soon a small frown came over his face, "Then what you are saying Sakura-San is that it is not decent to ask a stranger to take of her clothes for me in the middle of the street?" he asked.

"Exactly, I mean which guy in his right mind asks that?"

"Sai does apparently" replied Naruto.

"But Sakura-San, then according to what you say would it be okay to ask a girl I know to take off her clothes for me while alone in my room? I mean, going over the details you told that shouldn't arise any feeling of…"

Sai's words were lost as Sakura gave a yell of frustration and stalked off.

Naruto and Sai stood in the middle of the street dumbly staring at Sakura's back and then at each other.

"Was it something I said?"

* * *

><p>"Honestly that Sai will be the death of me. I mean come on, I understand he's been brought up to not experience emotions but there's a goddamned limit to how dense and foolish a guy can be. Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she thought before colliding heavily with a person and falling backwards.<p>

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was…" Sakura's words died away in her throat as she looked up at who she had bumped into.

"S-Sasuke?"

"Umm, no miss, my name's Rikuo? Sorry I was in a hurry. Here let me help you up" said the boy called Rikuo whose uncanny resemblance to the Uchiha was slowly starting to creep out Sakura.

"Those same black eyes, except much warmer, pale skin, that same spiky hair, but with a slightly deeper shade of blue than Sasuke's." thought Sakura as her heart began to pound harder. A smile seemed out of place of the face that had so often sneered at her. And yet he still looked, altogether a gentler, a bleaker version of Uchiha Sasuke.

Accepting his hand she stood up dusting off the dirt from her tights and shirt.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't really looking" she said bowing as the boy held up his hands, "That's okay, it happens to the best of us" he said before walking off.

"_I__…__what__'__s__wrong__with__me?__I__'__m__over__him__damn__it;__I__don__'__t__care__for__Sasuke__anymore.__Nope,__not__one__bit__"_ thought Sakura to herself.

"_**Can we spell in denial?"**_

"Not you again, I thought you finally got bored of pestering me and went and died somewhere" muttered Sakura to herself not aware of the strange looks she was receiving from the marketers for talking to herself.

"_**I**__**'**__**m **__**not **__**that **__**easy **__**to **__**get **__**rid of **__**baby, **__**I**__**'**__**m **__**you, **__**and **__**as **__**long **__**as **__**you**__**'**__**re **__**alive, **__**I**__**'**__**m **__**alive, **__**and **__**as **__**long **__**as **__**I**__**'**__**m **__**alive, **__**you**__**'**__**ll **__**never **__**be **__**over **__**Sasuke. **__**So **__**in **__**short, **__**you**__**'**__**re **__**still **__**in **__**love **__**with **__**Sasuke**__**"**_ replied Inner Sakura in a smug voice.

"No way, that simply can't be. You might think I'm in love with Sasuke being an older remnant of my memories as you are but the present superficial you does not know that the present real me is no longer like the old real me that you knew and the present real me no longer loves Sasuke" said Sakura making her way to her house.

"_**If you're trying to confuse me then you'll have to do a bit better. Let me explain, the present real you claims to be over Sasuke while me, the remnant of your old self claims that that you're still in love with him. Taking into consideration these two conflicting statements I'd say the real you is no longer in love with the Sasuke you knew seven years ago with whom you shared your genin days, no, no, no, what you felt then was merely a crush, a lust for someone whose sexy, but what you feel now for the Sasuke who is an S-Rank Criminal is something more deep emerging from you feelings of loneliness, pity and…"**_

"Arrghh for heaven's sake would you shut up?" yelled Sakura clutching her hair as a little dog jumped and ran down the road yapping away.

"**_Okay, __fine, __you__'__re __the __boss. __I__'__ll __leave __for __now __but __just __remember __sweetie, __I __am __the __embodiment __of __your __true __self __so __you __can__'__t __avoid __me __for__ever. __Just __remember __that_."**

Sakura continued walking down the street her pink bangs hiding her eyes as a drop of water fell over her. Looking up she saw the sky overcast.

* * *

><p>Yumebaki Shiori was hailed as one of the most heartless, cruel and sadistic women in the history of Konoha. Even Danzo felt he could put her to good use as one of his best subordinate's but unfortunately for him Hiruzen Sarutobi had made sure the Anbu Root had not obtained her as their member.<p>

But even amongst all those hails Yumebaki Shiori still cared for a few things. Going over the very few things she liked, said Anbu Captain walked up the spiral steps of Tsunade's private infirmary where only the Hokage, Shizune, Sakura and a few high ranking members of the Anbu-herself included- were allowed.

The sound of thunder rumbled across the sky immediately after a sharp flash of lightning which cast a shadow across the wall of the room she was in. Looking out of the window she was received with a strong gust of moisture laden wind. Though her mask protected her from most of it she couldn't resist a shiver going down her spine.

"_There__'__s__a__big__storm__a-brewin__"_ she thought to herself as Shizune stepped into the room and coughed politely.

"He's ready to see you now Yumebaki-San" she said nervously for she disliked being left alone with the 1st Squad Captain.

"Arigato, Shizune-San" she said as she got up from her chair and entered the room beyond the door which Shizune closed softly.

Turning around she faced a bed which was by the window. On it lay a boy of about 17; both his arms were heavily bandaged and lay limply beside his torso which too was covered with bandages. His face was childlike with a hint of baby fat left on his cheeks and long eyelashes. His eyes which opened at the sound of the door opening were large and a warm chocolate brown in colour. Though the overall impact was very childish his eyes held a quiet intelligence which was a praiseworthy fact about him. The bedside table beside him was strewn with books of Ancient Legends, Historic Battles and Great Personalities.

"Ahhh, Taicho" he said in a pleased voice as he tried to prop himself up but fell back.

"There is no need for you to sit up, in your present condition I doubt you could even manage to sit for more than a minute or two" said Shiori in a tonelessly but not unkindly.

The young man's eyes flashed with a slightly hurt look once before he smiled ruefully, "Yes Taicho, sorry Taicho"

Shiori went over to the window which lay open admitting a chilly wind into the room.

"You should keep the window cold with this storm going around. It'll get ugly if you catch a chill at this juncture. You should have told Shizune-San about it if she didn't do it herself" said Shiori severely as she shut the windows.

"I'm sorry, but it kinda felt nice having a cool breeze blow in. We usually never have storms in Konoha so it as a rare sight. I don't think I'll get to see a whole lot of storms since…there's no reason to send me out of Konoha now" said the young man as a shadow cast over his eyes.

Shiori regarded him for a few minutes before sighing, "That's not necessarily true. Tsunade-Sama is still hoping the operation may turn out to be successful. If that happens there will be every reason to send you out of Konoha"

"You're being too optimistic Taicho, I saw the look in Tsunade-Sama's eyes when she said it, there's practically no hope for me as a Shinobi anymore. Maybe I could start a watermelon business?"

"Shusuke, if you're beginning to lose hope then not even Kami-Sama himself will be able to help you. And I am not being optimistic. If you look at it statistically there are many examples of how Tsunade-Sama has healed wounds that the world thought was impossible. There's the operation Rock Lee undertook, it had a very low chance of success yet he's a fairly talented Jonin today."

"If you say so" replied Shusuke in a morose voice.

For a few minutes neither of them spoke as the window rattled a bit as big drop of rain attacked it relentlessly. A huge clap of thunder was heard before they heard someone knocking on the door.

Tsunade opened the door and came in holding a clipboard to her chest and a vial in her hand. She didn't seem surprised to see the 1st Division Captain there.

"Probably a silly question but are you by any chance feeling any better today?" she asked taking a glass from the medical shelf and pouring a sweet smelling, brown liquid into it.

"My arm feels terribly limp but the slightly tingly feeling in them has gone." Replied Shusuke as Tsunade poured in the magenta liquid from the vial into the glass filled with brown liquid and the effect was instantaneous. The mixture turned into a merry shade of orange and began bubbling slightly.

She offered the glass to Shusuke who sniffed it suspiciously before looking away with a face. "Yuck, this thing smells awful" he said sticking out his tongue.

"I can assure that it tastes even worse but you're to keep sipping it regularly till its finish. Take two to three sips of it every ten minutes and make sure you don't drop it or something. It's a mixture of Mountain Pine juice mixed with the precipitate of my own secret ingredient" said Tsunade grinning as Shusuke made throwing up sounds as he took a tiny sip of the ferociously bubbling liquid.

"May I know its purpose?" asked Shiori quietly as Tsunade looked up as if noticing her for the first time.

"It mixes with the tendons and ligament and eases out the tension so the muscles aren't too tight. It makes it easier for operating purposes. It also wipes out any irritation on the saline layer beneath the skin so that 'tingly' feeling you complained off won't be coming back. That should make it easier for you to relax as relaxation is important before an important operation" replied Tsunade.

"Pardon me Hokage-Sama, but you're speaking as if there is any hope for me" said Shusuke glumly as Tsunade glared at him.

"Are you insinuating that I'll fail?" she asked in mock anger.

"It's not that, it's just…"

"Just what?" asked Shiori impatiently.

"Just that nobody's ever healed from the Amaterasu haven't they? I mean, I still have these arms just because he let me off to warn the village. Didn't they say even Itachi Uchiha could not control his Amaterasu perfectly, but Sasuke Uchiha can and now the village is in danger and I…I…I'm so useless" said Shusuke hanging his head as drops of tears fell onto the starched white bed sheet.

"If you're gonna be such a wimp about it and cry all day then yeah, you've got no hope" said Tsunade severely as Shusuke sniffed, "Look Shusuke, we both know you're strong. All three of us present in this room know how powerful you are and how hard you've worked to get where you are, but amongst the three of us you are the only one who doesn't believe in yourself" said Tsunade casting a sideward glance at Shiori who remained impassive.

"That's all well and good Hokage-Sama but that doesn't change the fact that I'm useless to everyone now. To you, to Taicho, to the village" said Shusuke.

"Well that's what you're being operated upon for isn't it?" asked Shiori coldly as the other two looked at her.

"Tsunade-Sama is a very busy woman Shusuke and yet she's here taking time out for you and making sure you'll be back on your feet before long. I myself have never believed it my business to visit any of my subordinates unless I view them as a true comrade to me and the village. I'm not saying that you should be honored or anything, no. What I'm saying is that the two of us, and all your other comrades, believe you can get better and I feel it's rather sad and pathetic if you can't bring yourself to believe in yourself as well" said Shiori getting up, 'Think carefully over what I said, it'll do you some good"

She turned and left the room slamming the door shut.

"Don't take what she says in a negative way" said Tsunade gruffly moving over to the window, "She's just as upset and frustrated as you although she hides it very well. She may come across as a cold individual to others but…'

"There are times when she really cares isn't it?" said Shusuke as Tsunade turned to look at him.

"Yes, and I'm sure you don't want to disappoint her further by wallowing in self pity because that's something she truly hates."

"Yeah I know. Tsunade-Sama, can I ever truly be healed?" he asked looking a little desperately.

"Look Shusuke I'll be honest with you. The chances are slim, very slim, but it's there. And as long as even the slightest thread is present, you should grab onto it, so later id it doesn't work you don't regret not trying and if it does work then well, you call yourself a fool for ever doubting me" said Tsunade as Shusuke smiled.

"A win-win situation eh?" he asked as Tsunade nodded.

"Exactly, I've got a meeting with Hiashi Hyuga right now so I'll be off. But you keep sipping that mixture. Shizune's downstairs if you need anything press the emergency button. And don't lose hope. I'll come and check up on you later tonight." Said Tsunade leaving the room leaving him alone in his own thoughts.

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><p>Well that's all for this chapter. Thanks to all who were kind enough to review for the previous chapter. I do hope you'll like this chapter as well. Bye guys and see you all next time!<p>

Master Hiruka


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